THE VOICE OF BLACK MINNESOTA SINCE 1934
August 3 - 9, 2023
Vol. 90
PRST STD U.S.POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES MN PERMIT NO. 6391
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Ellison and Martinez debate ahead of fall election
Fifth ward council race may come down to housing, jobs, and public safety By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer esidents of North Minneapolis’s Ward 5 gathered in pews at New Salem Baptist Church last Wednesday evening, July 26, for a public safety town hall debate between City Councilmember Jeremiah Ellison and Pastor Victor Martinez. The two are set to face off once again in the fall after Ellison’s victory in 2021, in which Martinez came in third after three rounds of rankedchoice voting tabulation. Wednesday’s town hall focused on public safety. But there were a range of topics discussed, including affordable housing, employment opportunities, and youth resources. Both Ellison and Martinez share a focus on these issues accord-
safety as taking away resources from MPD. He further criticizes Ellison on his campaign website by claiming that his constituents find it hard to reach him, and he blames Ellison’s policies for the closure of Breaking Bread Café, which announced it will close its West Broadway location on August 25. The town hall between the two candidates for the 5th Ward council seat was subdued and facilitated by Latonya Reeves who read questions written by attendees aloud. Each candidate was given an allotted time to answer and an Challenger Victor Martinez (l) debates Councilmember Jeremiah Ellison (r). Photos by Abdi Mohamed opportunity to respond when necessary. As the questions ing to their campaign websites, tion to replace the police de- maintain and retain officers, as were read, both candidates though they diverge on their partment with a department staffing shortages continue to did their best to differentiate of public safety in 2022. That plague the department. approach to public safety. themselves from the other. Martinez’s campaign webEllison along with other initiative failed with only 43 One of the questions that members of the Minneapolis percent voter approval. Since site describes Ellison’s support came up addressed the City’s City Council put forth a mo- then, the City has struggled to for a department of public approach to rent control. The
council has approved a charter amendment in the past that would allow them to regulate rent. They sought to draft an ordinance that would fix rental increases at three percent a year, a motion that was struck down when Ellison and two other Muslim councilmembers were out for the Eid holiday. Ellison responded to the question regarding his approach to rent control as requiring residential input and a process to find out what would best serve Minneapolis, not a one-size-fits-all approach. “The answer to that question will be borne out through the public hearing process, through studying policy, through staff recommendations, through council amendments. The answer to your question is borne out through the process, and ■ See DEBATE on page 5
Changing the system that deals with missing and murdered Black women By Abdi Mohamed Contributing Writer very Sunday, Lakeisha Lee would get together with her younger sister Brittany Clardy to watch their weekly marathon of “Law and Order: SVU.” They’d have their lunch and dinner planned, ready to binge their favorite show. The two of them wanted to be like Olivia Benson, one of the lead detectives and characters of the show. Looking back on that time, Lee shared how fateful it all seemed following the murder of her sister Brittany. Lee was five years older and protective over her younger sister. They grew up in a middle-class family first residing in North Minneapolis before their move to St. Paul. Lee had her own townhome,
Lakeisha Lee, founder of Brittany’s Place, and advocate for missing and murdered Black women and girls when Brittany was 18, and still living with their mother. At the time problems began to arise
because of Brittany’s association with an older man. “We were really worried about
Dr. Brittany Lewis, CEO and founder of Research in Action Photos by Chris Juhn her and watching her transition out of her job. She worked at a recreation center with kids every
day and she was such a loving and caring person for the kids there,” Lee said. “The person that
she connected with, he started to take her away from a lot of that.” One morning, in early 2013, Brittany left home, telling her mother she was heading to the corner store. She never returned home. Worried, Lee’s mother, Marquita Clardy, called her to tell her Brittany was missing. The two went to the police and pleaded their case about their sister. They told them that Brittany had been seeing an older man and that this wasn’t like her. The officers dismissed them, theorizing that she must have gone down to Chicago and run away with her boyfriend. Frustrated, Lee and her mother had nowhere to turn. Days later, they received a letter from Brittany’s car company stating ■ See MISSING on page 5
I-94 freeway rebuild could affect express bus routes By H. Jiahong Pan Contributing Writer ince 1974, a Metro Transit bus route has used Interstate 94 to ferry thousands of riders between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul. Many use it to get to and from work. A couple of weeks ago, DeMarco Martin, a West St. Paul resident, used it to drop off baking supplies in North Minneapolis. “It’s a quicker way to get to Minneapolis,” said Martin, indicating what he liked about Metro Transit’s Route 94. Averaging more than 700 daily boardings between mid-March and early June, it is Metro Transit’s busiest express route. However, that could all change in the next decade. The 55-year-old freeway that Route 94 operates on, Interstate 94, is on its last legs and due for a rebuild. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is looking at 10 options that could keep the freeway in place, widen it by adding an extra toll or general traffic lane, narrow it, or replace it with a boulevard. Whatever MnDOT ends up doing would affect Metro Transit’s Route 94, as well as Routes 353, 355 and 363 express routes that connect downtown Minneapolis with downtown St. Paul
and the eastern St. Paul suburbs of Woodbury and Cottage Grove. If MnDOT chooses to keep the freeway, Metro Transit could continue operating the 94 as it does today or keep the same route but eliminate the stop on Snelling Avenue. Route 94’s stop on Snelling Avenue was restored in December 2021, as Metro Transit had to contend with a shortage of drivers to operate the Green Line, which parallels I-94 to the north. Metro Transit could also convert Route 94 into a route like the Orange Line, which opened in December 2021, and operates on toll lanes on I-35W, mak- DeMarco Martin rides a Metro Transit Route 94 bus to Minneapolis. ing stops in stations on the middle of the Photos by H. Jiahong Pan freeway in Minneapolis and on the side of the freeway in Richfield, Bloomington the two downtown centers quickly. “I 7th Street in downtown Minneapolis. and Burnsville. The converted Route 94, don’t think [the bus] should have more The bus route could also run similarly to which would continue to run between stops. It has more than enough stops. the Gold Line, a bus line that will run on downtown Minneapolis and downtown Maybe one more? People get on the 94 dedicated transit lanes—being built imSt. Paul could operate on toll lanes or trying to get from downtown Minneapo- mediately north of I-94 on the east side highway shoulders and could stop at a lis to downtown St. Paul as quickly as of St. Paul that will connect downtown station in the middle of the freeway or possible,” said JT Concepcion as he rode St. Paul with the 3M office building in adjacent to an on-ramp. It could just stop the 94 one afternoon to get to a North Maplewood, as well as Woodbury— at Snelling Avenue or stop somewhere Minneapolis brewery. when it opens in 2025. However, if MnDOT decides to renear Minneapolis’ Seward neighborhood Buses running on dedicated lanes in and St. Paul’s Rondo neighborhood in ad- move the freeway and replace it with a boulevard conversion saves commuta boulevard, Metro Transit’s Route 94 ers an average of two minutes per trip dition to Snelling. The idea of adding stops to Route 94 is bus would operate on dedicated lanes while providing the greatest increase in unpopular with some current riders, who on that boulevard, similar to how the C ridership, according to a study commisuse the service to commute between and D Lines run on red transit lanes on sioned by MnDOT and conducted by
a Houston, Texas transportation planning company called The Goodman Corporation. In addition, the study found that a boulevard conversion could increase ridership on the Blue and Green Lines, as well as a streetcar line being proposed to operate on West 7th Street. Planners believe converting the freeway into a boulevard and providing buses running on dedicated lanes would incentivize riders to take transit as they change how they commute without a freeway. However, the alternative that would convert the Route 94 bus to something similar to the Orange Line with stations in Seward, Rondo, and at Snelling Avenue increases access to jobs, medical facilities, groceries, educational opportunities and businesses. The study did not consider when the buses would run, but assumed the buses would run every 10 minutes during rush hour and every 15 minutes outside of rush hour. Some riders like Concepcion wish it would run later. “There’s been a couple times when I would like it to run later.” Even if Metro Transit retools I-94 transit service to accommodate whatever MnDOT ends up doing, some people won’t ride it for fear of their own safety. ■ See I-94 on page 5